DEBRIS.COMgood for a laugh, or possibly an aneurysm

It is a tradition in my wife’s family to decorate the Christmas tree with candles. Well aware of the fire hazard, we all watched the tree closely, hyper-conscious of the status of each candle. Long before any candle burned down to its base, or any flame came near a branch, adjustments were made to ensure a disaster-free Christmas dinner.

So you can imagine our surprise when, in the midst of the meal and the ongoing tree maintenance, the Advent wreath caught fire.

A few days later, while recounting the story to friends in Köln, I made an unfortunate use of the possessive form. As our host blew out the short candles in her Advent wreath, noting that they were close to burning through, I said, “Stephanie’s parents’ caught on fire.” I pronounced the apostrophe as best I could, but I admit, it sounded like my in-laws (rather than their wreath) had combusted.